Job 38
38
The Lord Questions Job
1Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said:
2“Who is this that makes my purpose unclear
by saying things that are not true?
3Be strong like a man!
I will ask you questions,
and you must answer me.
4Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5Who marked off how big it should be? Surely you know!
Who stretched a ruler across it?
6What were the earth’s foundations set on,
or who put its cornerstone in place
7while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted with joy?
8“Who shut the doors to keep the sea in
when it broke through and was born,
9when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea
and wrapped it in dark clouds,
10when I put limits on the sea
and put its doors and bars in place,
11when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther;
this is where your proud waves must stop’?
12“Have you ever ordered the morning to begin,
or shown the dawn where its place was
13in order to take hold of the earth by its edges
and shake evil people out of it?
14At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal;
the hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.
15Light is not given to evil people;
their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
16“Have you ever gone to where the sea begins
or walked in the valleys under the sea?
17Have the gates of death been opened to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
18Do you understand how wide the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all these things.
19“What is the path to light’s home,
and where does darkness live?
20Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the way to their homes?
21Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened!
Have you lived that many years?
22“Have you ever gone into the storehouse of the snow
or seen the storehouses for hail,
23which I save for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24Where is the place from which light comes?
Where is the place from which the east winds blow over the earth?
25Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains
and sets a path for the thunderstorm?
26Who waters the land where no one lives,
the desert that has no one in it?
27Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land
so the grass begins to grow?
28Does the rain have a father?
Who is father to the drops of dew?
29Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the sky
30when the water becomes hard as stone,
and even the surface of the ocean is frozen?
31“Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades
or loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion?
32Can you bring out the stars on time
or lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
33Do you know the laws of the sky
and understand their rule over the earth?
34“Can you shout an order to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do they come to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36Who put wisdom inside the mind
or understanding in the heart?
37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can pour water from the jars of the sky
38when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39“Do you hunt food for the female lion
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions
40while they lie in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41Who gives food to the birds
when their young cry out to God
and wander about without food?
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Job 38
38
The LORD Answers Job
1Then out of the storm the LORD spoke to Job.
The LORD
2Who are you to question my wisdom
with your ignorant, empty words?
3Now stand up straight
and answer the questions I ask you.
4Were you there when I made the world?
If you know so much, tell me about it.
5Who decided how large it would be?
Who stretched the measuring line over it?
Do you know all the answers?
6What holds up the pillars that support the earth?
Who laid the cornerstone of the world?
7In the dawn of that day the stars sang together,
and the heavenly beings#38.7 heavenly beings: See 1.6. shouted for joy.
8 #
Jer 5.22
Who closed the gates to hold back the sea#38.8 to hold back the sea: See 26.12.
when it burst from the womb of the earth?
9It was I who covered the sea with clouds
and wrapped it in darkness.
10I marked a boundary for the sea
and kept it behind bolted gates.
11I told it, “So far and no farther!
Here your powerful waves must stop.”
12Job, have you ever in all your life
commanded a day to dawn?
13Have you ordered the dawn to seize the earth
and shake the wicked from their hiding places?
14Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out
like the folds of a garment,
clear as the imprint of a seal on clay.
15The light of day is too bright for the wicked
and restrains them from deeds of violence.
16Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?
Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?
17Has anyone ever shown you the gates
that guard the dark world of the dead?
18Have you any idea how big the world is?
Answer me if you know.
19Do you know where the light comes from
or what the source of darkness is?
20Can you show them how far to go,
or send them back again?
21I am sure you can, because you're so old
and were there when the world was made!
22Have you ever visited the storerooms,
where I keep the snow and the hail?
23I keep them ready for times of trouble,
for days of battle and war.
24Have you been to the place where the sun comes up,
or the place from which the east wind blows?
25Who dug a channel for the pouring rain
and cleared the way for the thunderstorm?
26Who makes rain fall where no one lives?
27Who waters the dry and thirsty land,
so that grass springs up?
28Does either the rain or the dew have a father?
29Who is the mother of the ice and the frost,
30which turn the waters to stone
and freeze the face of the sea?
31 #
Job 9.9; Amos 5.8 Can you tie the Pleiades together
or loosen the bonds that hold Orion?
32Can you guide the stars season by season
and direct the Great and the Little Bear?
33Do you know the laws that govern the skies,
and can you make them apply to the earth?
34Can you shout orders to the clouds
and make them drench you with rain?
35And if you command the lightning to flash,
will it come to you and say, “At your service”?
36Who tells the ibis#38.36 ibis: A bird in ancient Egypt that was believed to announce the flooding of the River Nile. when the Nile will flood,
or who tells the cock that rain will fall?#38.36 Verse 36 in Hebrew is unclear.
37Who is wise enough to count the clouds
and tilt them over to pour out the rain,
38rain that hardens the dust into lumps?
39Do you find food for lions to eat,
and satisfy hungry young lions
40when they hide in their caves,
or lie in wait in their dens?
41Who is it that feeds the ravens
when they wander about hungry,
when their young cry to me for food?
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.